


Mend your soul

by Blaqqmxgic



Category: The Order (TV 2019)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:22:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29006760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blaqqmxgic/pseuds/Blaqqmxgic
Summary: In the aftermath of Praxis and Alyssa, Vera struggles to adapt to the loss of her magic. The people around her don’t fail to spot it, especially Hamish, who is determined to do something, anything, to help her.
Relationships: Hamish Duke/Vera Stone
Comments: 14
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

VERA’S HOUSE

Sitting in the passenger seat of her car, Vera stares out the window at the forest rushing past. This is the fourth evening in a row that Hamish has driven Vera home, but the first time she won’t be inviting him in. It’s not that she doesn’t want him there, she does (not that she would ever admit it), but Vera has decided that she doesn’t want to be so pathetic that she, a grown woman, can't spend a night alone.  
Vera slips her heels off in the footwell and surreptitiously places her coat on the floor over her freezing feet. There is a chill in the air, even inside the car, and without magic to warm her, Vera is very much feeling the cold. She prays Hamish doesn’t notice the way her hands are shaking slightly, but her hopes are dashed when he extends a hand towards her, never looking away from the road. Instinctively, she moves her hand away, but quickly returns it and entwines their fingers together on her lap. Though she hasn’t turned her gaze towards him, Vera sees Hamish smile out of the corner of her eye. He squeezes her hand briefly but doesn’t say anything, just carries on driving.

When they pull up outside Vera's house about 20 minutes later, Hamish switches off the car and turns to face the woman next to him.

“How are you getting home?”  
Vera asks him, unclasping their hands and slipping her heels back on.  
Hamish blinks a few times, cocking his head to one side for an instant before recovering enough to ask,

“I’m going home?”

He tries to keep the surprise out of his voice, but fails, and he knows Vera notices. The woman attempts to keep the indecisiveness off her face, but shows enough for Hamish to become suspicious. The question hangs thickly in the air for a moment before Vera responds.

“I’m not a child, I don’t need to be babysat.”  
“Vera…”

Hamish quickly stops when Vera glares at him. He clears his throat and tries again.

“Vera, is everything…”

“Everything’s fine,” she cuts him off, flashing him a tight smile.  
“You can take my car home if you’d like?”

It pains Vera greatly to see such blatant dejection on the young man's face, and she almost gives in. Hamish just shakes his head lightly and takes the keys out of the ignition.

“I’ll probably just run home. It’s not that far and Tundra has been getting restless.”

Vera nods when he puts them in her outstretched palm, and opens her car door, but Hamish reaches over and places a hand on her knee before she has a chance to move.

“You know you can talk to me, right?”

Internally cringing, Vera nods again and removes Hamish’s hand. The young man leans over to her slightly but Vera leans away, cursing herself for having to upset him. Hamish falls back into the chair but still manages to smile briefly.

“Goodnight Vera.”

Vera climbs out of the car, and walks to her front door, digging for her keys in her purse. Hamish also exits the car with a sigh, taking off his clothes and leaving them in the back seat. He stands, shivering in the cold until Vera has found her keys and let herself in before transforming and running off back down the road. Vera just sighs and locks her car, walking inside and shutting the door behind her.

..._.._.__.........

KNIGHTS HOUSE

When the door bangs open, Jack jumps out of his skin. Hamish grabs a robe from the hooks in the hall and puts it on, walking straight to the bar and pulling a few bottles off the shelves. Jack raises an eyebrow and Hamish just glares.

“What?” He snipes.

Jack puts his hands up in surrender. “Nothing. I just didn’t think you were coming home tonight. Figured you’d be somewhere else.”

“Well I’m not, am I?”

“Did Vera finally get tired of you?”

Hamish sighs deeply, finishes making his drink and turns to Jack.  
“Do you actually care or are you just trying to shift attention onto me so I can’t ask you where you’ve been all day?”

Jack sends a deadpanned look Hamish’s way. “I guess Vera…”

“I swear Morton if you finish that sentence I will kill you.”

“Alright alright.”  
Jack chuckles and Hamish raises the glass up to his lips, but instead of drinking, he growls slightly and stalks into the kitchen. Jack watches as he pours it down the sink and heads towards the stairs.

“What a waste of good alcohol.”

Hamish just ignores him and walks upstairs.

..._.._.__.........

VERA'S HOUSE

When Vera gets inside, the first thing she does is take off her heels and carry them in her hand, turning on the light in her hallway and creeping through her house. Every lock on every window was checked. A precaution, she tells herself, but she can’t help creeping around, jumping at every little noise. She opens the doors to every room and turns the light on, peeking her head in just to make sure.

After double and triple checking everything was where it should be, Vera makes it to her bedroom.  
Her house is cold from the heating being off all day, but Vera doesn’t bother to turn it on. Her shoes are abandoned on the floor as she heads into the ensuite. Even though she knows she is alone, Vera still locks the door to the bathroom, turning the shower on, so hot that the room is full of steam when she steps in.

Vera showers as quickly as possible, stepping onto the tiles and wrapping a towel around herself. Unlocking the bathroom door, the woman walks quickly to her closet and changes into comfortable clothes.

When she is dressed, she climbs under her duvet on Hamish’s side of the bed (if anyone ever asked, she would firmly deny it). Vera waves her hand to turn off the lights, but when nothing happens, she climbs out of bed, switches the light off, and walks very hastily back to her bed.

She manages to last for two minutes in the dark (two minutes longer than she thought she would) before she gets up to turn the lights back on. Instead of going back to bed straight away, she leaves her room and fetches her bag from the hallway where she left it. When Vera returns to her room, she moves to her desk and sits down, pulling her laptop out and opening it up. If she’s not going to sleep tonight, she might as well be productive.

..._.._.__.........

Hamish knows that Vera is going through a lot, but the distance she has put between them is starting to worry him. Hamish has gone from driving Vera but sleeping in his own bed to being avoided altogether. Today Vera has graduated to getting a disciple to magically lock the doors to her office in the temple, and Hamish is incredibly concerned.  
He waits until he is sure the temple is empty to unlock Vera’s door. When he walks in, Hamish doesn’t expect to see Vera asleep, head on her desk. He knocks on the door twice and she shoots up, flushing red when she sees him.

“Grand Magus.” Hamish says as Vera adjusts her hair and rubs the sleep from her eyes.

“Mr Duke.” She responds, gesturing to the door, which Hamish closes with a wave of his hand.

As soon as it clicks shut, the woman drops her head into her hands and sighs deeply.

“Look, I know you don’t want to talk..”

“You’re right.” Vera snaps. “I don’t.”

“.. but,” Hamish continues, walking over to Vera’s desk and taking a seat opposite her, “I need to know if you are okay. Are you?”

He reaches over and moves her hands gently away from her face, keeping hold of them in his own. Vera stares at their fingers for a moment before looking up to meet Hamish’s eyes.

“I’m fine.”

The young man just sighs and lets Vera remove her hands from his. She stands up and walks over to the bookshelves on the opposite wall, pulling out three and returning to her desk. Turning on her laptop, Vera starts to flick through one of the books.

“I’ve got work to do, so if you don’t mind?”  
Vera looks pointedly at the door, but Hamish doesn’t move.

“Have you been sleeping?” he asks, settling back into the chair. “Because you’ve seemed tired lately, and if we’re being honest, a little on edge. More on edge than usual.”

Vera puts down her book and pinches the bridge of her nose. “Are my sleeping habits really that important?”

“They are to me.” Hamish responds immediately.

Sighing, Vera shuts the laptop and meets Hamish’s gaze. The young man stays silent but looks at Vera with such warmth that she *almost* melts.

“Fine. I will admit that I have had trouble sleeping ever since… you know.”

A look of confusion crosses Hamish’s face. “I thought you slept alright when I was there.” He flushes slightly at his own words and Vera can’t help but smile slightly.  
“Why did you kick me out?”

Vera hesitates for a moment.  
“Because… it doesn’t matter.”

Hamish stands up and walks over to Vera, perching on the edge of the desk opposite her. When Hamish doesn’t say anything, Vera goes to stand up, but is stopped by the young man's hand on her arm. Hamish opens his mouth to speak, and Vera’s composure shatters.

“What do you want me to say? That I can’t sleep alone in my own house?!”  
When she gets no response, Vera chuckles weakly.  
“You don’t understand what it’s like, knowing that if something happens…”

“What are you worried will happen?”  
Hamish questions, sliding his hand down Vera’s arm to entwine their fingers.

The woman scoffs. “I’m not worried.”

“Humour me.”

“Alyssa knows - knew - where I lived, who’s to say she didn’t tell all of her Praxis buddies?”  
Vera tries to keep the anxiety out of her voice, but she can tell by the way Hamish looks at her that she was unsuccessful.

“I’ll stay with you Vera, I will.”

“And what would that say about me? That I need someone to protect me? I’m not a damsel in distress, Hamish.”  
Vera gives up on her work and digs under the desk for her bag. Hamish lets go of her hand and watches while she puts her laptop away. When Vera stands up, he stands up with her, grasping her hand again and leading her to the door.

“Let me take you somewhere.” Hamish says, walking backwards so he can face her.

Vera raises her eyebrows. “Where is somewhere?”

“Humour me.”

“You’ve said that already.” Vera smiles.

“Humour me again.”


	2. Chapter 2

Once again Vera finds herself in the passenger seat of her own car with Hamish beside her. The woods lining the road pass by the window in a dark green blur, but Vera ignores the scenery, choosing instead to pass the time replying to emails on her phone. Every so often, Vera feels Hamish’s eyes on her, but he never breaks the easy silence that has fallen between them. 

If it wasn’t for the light blaring out of Vera’s phone screen, she has no doubt that she would have been lulled to sleep by the humming of the engine. She turns her brightness up even higher.

When Hamish turns off the highway and onto gravel, Vera looks up from her phone and… oh. She realises that he hasn’t taken her home, rather he’s driven in the other direction and they are now parked outside the Knights’ house. I guess it leads to two places, Vera sighs.  
She turns to look at Hamish, but he’s already out of the car, and a moment later, her door opens.

“This isn’t…”

Hamish waits for Vera to get out of the car and walks towards the house. Even from outside, Vera can hear voices, and her steps falter slightly.

“When you said you were going to take me somewhere, I thought you meant home.” She says, slowing down to walk slightly behind the young man. 

Hamish turns around to meet the woman's eyes, gently picking up her hand in his.

“It is home. For me.”

Vera shoots him a deadpan look and he grins, walking them up onto the porch. Digging in the pockets of his jeans and coming up empty, he tries the door and it opens.

“You really need to lock your doors.” Vera chastises, but Hamish just shrugs.

“I thought it was locked.”

Shaking her head, Vera drops Hamish’s hand and puts some space between them. “That’s so much worse.”

If the man was going to say something else, he doesn’t get the chance. 

“Hamish!” Randall’s voice sounds from the living room. The young man pads into the hallway, but stops at the sight of Vera. Randall’s eyes move from Vera to Hamish, back to Vera, and then back to Hamish.

“Ham-ster, I see you’ve brought...” He starts, but is quickly cut off by Hamish.

“Please don’t finish that sentence.”

Closing his mouth, Randall nods and shoves his hands in the pockets of his sweater.  
Hamish moves past him towards the living room, clapping the younger man on the back as he does so.  
Randall smiles awkwardly. 

“Hi Vera.” he says before scurrying back into the living room.

Vera follows, leaving a considerable gap between them. Randall takes a seat back on the couch, between Gabrielle and Jack, both of whom sit up straighter when their Grand Magus walks through the door. 

Vera’s toes curl in her toes at the stares she gets from the two of them, but she keeps her expression impassive. Walking further into the room, she comes to a stop just behind Hamish, who is standing just in the doorway. He bumps his hand into Vera’s and she briefly grasps his fingers.  
When Jack looks between them and rolls his eyes, Vera drops Hamish’s hand immediately and crosses her arms. The man doesn’t say anything, just looks at her, and then turns his gaze on the other Knights, smiling gently.

“So guys, I umm… have something to say.” Hamish can’t help but look to Vera, the woman’s face painted with confusion.

Gabrielle tilts her head. “Don’t you think it’s a bad time for a wedding?”

The man can’t help but choke on his next words. “What?”

“Is that not what you have to say?”

Hamish splutters, but Vera keeps her composure, raising one eyebrow and looking down at Gabrielle.  
“Miss Dupres, there will certainly not be a wedding between Mr Duke and I.”

“Ouch.” Jack mutters under his breath, earning a glare from Hamish.

“Anyway, what I was trying to say, is that Vera…” Hamish gestured to the woman, “is going to be moving in for a while.”

After a moment of silence, the room bursts into uproar, silenced almost instantaneously by Vera raising a hand.  
She turns to Hamish, an incredulous look on her face.

“I’m sorry, I am what?!”

The rest of the knights scamper at Vera’s tone, escaping either upstairs (in the case of Randall and Gabrielle) or out the front door, like Jack. Hamish heads to the now empty couch and takes a seat, Vera hot on his heels. 

“Did I hear that correctly?”

When Hamish stays quiet, Vera sighs through her nose.

“I am NOT moving in here, Hamish.” She paces back and forth, hands clenched at her sides. “Not happening.”

“Vera…“ he sighs, running a hand over his face.

“Don’t ‘Vera’ me!” 

The man pats the couch next to him, but Vera ignores him.

“In what world did you think I would ever agree to this?”

“Please just sit down for a minute.” Hamish asks her, looking slightly crestfallen. 

Vera stops pacing and takes a seat, huffing loudly. Hamish picks up one of her hands and entwines their fingers, not meeting her gaze.

“You don't feel safe at home..”

“That isn’t..” 

“...and I don’t blame you.” Hamish continues, looking up with a small smile on his face. “You'll be safe here.”

Vera snorts. “Alyssa knew where you live too, in case you had forgotten.”

Hamish nods. “Yeah, but at least there will be five werewolves to get through first before anyone can get to you. We can protect you.”

“I don’t think everyone shares the same sentiment.” 

“They don't need to.” Hamish corrects himself. “You’ve got me.”

He can see that Vera’s resolve is weakening, but she still tries to stand her ground.

“Do you know how fired I will be if the university finds out I’m living with students?”

“I live with students though.” Hamish says.

The woman just shakes her head.  
“You’re not full-time faculty. I am.”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Vera leans back into the couch. Hamish also sits back, loosening his grip on her hand, not quite letting go.

“You can get fired for that?”

“I sure as hell don’t intend to find out.” Vera counters, the fire in her voice all but gone.

If Hamish thinks about it, Vera’s right - this probably wasn’t his best idea. Blame it on Tundra’s protective instinct, or simply the way Vera looked when he caught her sleeping in the temple, but he just couldn’t let her feel so vulnerable when he was able to do something about it. 

“It doesn’t have to be temporary.” Hamish says, “Just until we can find a way to get your magic back.”

Vera opens her mouth to argue, but Hamish interrupts.

“And we will. But until then, we can do something. Security cameras at your place, maybe. Do you have them already?”

Shaking her head, Vera purses her lips in indecision. He waits for her to speak first, and when she does, he lets out a sigh of relief.

“Fine, I’ll stay.”

Hamish smiles and leans forward, but Vera stops him with a hand on his chest.

“Just until I’ve installed security at my own house.”

“I’ll take what I can get.” Hamish responds, pushing past her hand and lightly pressing their lips together. 

When he hears footsteps from upstairs, Hamish pulls back, wiping Vera’s wine red lipstick off his lips. Randall comes skidding in, almost losing his balance as he slides in his socks. 

“Does this mean we have to swap rooms ‘cause I really like mine and I don’t want to have to move just because your girlfriend….”

“You can keep your room, Randall.” Hamish says, running a hand over his face.

The young knight smiles and flops down onto the chair opposite.  
“Jokes on you Vera. I have the best room.”

“I’m sure you do, Mr Carpio.” Vera quips as Randall makes himself comfortable. 

“Hamish’s room is the smallest - you are staying in Hamish’s room, right?”

One look between the two and Randall shakes his head, cringing.  
“You know what, forget I asked. I don't wanna know.”

“Randall…”

Hamish trails off as Vera turns to look at him, one eyebrow raised.

“I.. uhhhh.. We’ll sort it out later.” he stammers, flushing under the gaze of both Vera and the younger Knight. 

Randall just pulls out his phone, letting a quiet fall on the living room.  
Any questions Vera might have are not ones she feels comfortable asking in front of company, so she doesn’t break the uneasy silence. 

Hamish starts to get jittery with the awkwardness, and as if she can sense his emotions, just when he feels like he's about to burst, Vera stands up abruptly, smoothing out her dress.

“Well,” Vera turns to look at him. “If I’m going to be living here, I’d quite like to have something else to wear. Belgrave will start to complain if I keep wearing the same dress to work.”

Randall stifles a laugh as Vera heads into the hallway.  
“I’ll be back later.”

“I’ll drive you.” Hamish offers, grabbing a jacket and following her.  
Vera turns to go back into the living room to grab her purse, but Hamish dangles her keys from his fingers. She tries to snatch them from him but he moves his hand out of reach, smirking. 

Hamish reaches around Vera and opens the door. “After you.”

Smiling, Vera walks down the steps and out towards her car.

..._.._.__.........

VERA'S HOUSE

Hamish is driving again, one hand on her knee and the other on the wheel. If he can sense her apprehension, he doesn’t comment on it, staying focused on the road. 

With the fading light, Vera’s house is slowly falling into darkness. The shadows cast by the surrounding trees makes Vera wonder why she ever wanted so much glass. The idea of such open space is what drew Vera to move in, but now she can’t imagine anything worse. 

Getting out of the car, Vera clenches her hands into fists to disguise her trembling fingers, allowing Hamish to place a hand on her back and steer her to the door. While Vera takes the keys from him and unlocks the door, Hamish stands on the front step and surveys the area. 

“We could put a security camera above the door. You’d be able to see quite a lot if you have a wide angle.”

The woman just murmurs an acknowledgement and pulls him inside, shutting the door behind them both.

Everything looks as it did the last time Vera was here, and some of the worry in her stomach dissipates.  
While Vera goes straight to her bedroom, she hears Hamish walking around. The young man moves from the hallway into the kitchen, inspecting the house he’s only ever really seen in complete darkness.

“What are you looking for?” she asks, poking her head around the door to see Hamish examining her windows.

“I’ll install some better locks?”

Vera’s heart swells when Hamish meets her gaze, smiling. 

“Whatever you think is necessary.” 

She turns back to packing and Hamish turns back to his inspection. Call it thorough, or just plain snooping, but the man muses over the rest of the kitchen.  
The smoke detector is checked, and Hamish thanks whatever God there is that Vera didn’t startle him off the chair he was precariously standing on.  
When Hamish has a mental list of all the things he needs to buy and install, he moves into the living room.

This room Hamish is more familiar with, but he still looks around. Three more sets of locks are added to the list, as well as something to cover the glass walls that Hamish hasn’t quite decided on yet.  
Lacking something else to check, he takes a seat on the couch, his eyes quickly landing on something he’s never noticed.  
On a shelf above the fireplace are frames. Hamish stands back up and takes a closer look.  
All of them are filled with photos of a young Vera with smiling people Hamish assumes are friends and family. The biggest frame contains a photograph of Vera and a young girl on a beach. Her daughter, he thinks, and suddenly this ‘inspection’ seems like a gross invasion of privacy. Looking away, he hears the clack of Vera’s heels as she walks into the room.

“I wasn’t… sorry.” 

Vera drops her bag down on the couch and comes to stand beside him.  
“If I was sensitive about people seeing her, I wouldn’t have them on display.”

Nodding thoughtfully, he wraps an arm around Vera’s waist and pulls her into his side.

“Do you want to bring them?”

Whatever response she was expecting from the man, it wasn’t that. She smiles and nods, grabbing the frame and walking to her bag.

“You ready?” Hamish asks, keys back in hand.

Vera zips her bag back up again and nods. “Are you?”

He walks over to her and picks the bag up off the couch before Vera has a chance to. 

“Yep. Let’s go.”

Vera follows him to the front door, locking it behind them and walking towards the car. Hamish puts her bag on the back seat and opens the passenger door for her.  
Vera climbs in and Hamish shuts the door behind her before walking round to the driver’s side.

“Give me a week and this place will have better security than the White House.” Hamish says as he settles in behind the wheel, grinning widely.

Vera can't help but return his grin as they drive back home.

..._.._.__.........

KNIGHTS HOUSE

When they get back, everyone has returned and is spread throughout the living room. Four pairs of eyes meet Vera’s as she slips her shoes off in the hallway, trying very hard not to slip on the shiny wooden floor. When Hamish heads into the living room, Vera drops her bag and follows him, standing just behind the armchair that Hamish claims.  
Jack has the other armchair, while Lilith and Gabrielle have taken the couch. Randall appears to have been kicked to the floor, resting his back against the edge of the couch. Faint smiles are traded between the knights and Hamish, and whatever was on the TV is turned down. 

“Have you guys already eaten?” Hamish asks, drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair.  
Lilith doesn’t even look up from her phone, and everyone else stays in an awkward silence. Vera was already regretting the decision, and she is very aware that she is the reason for the other Knights’ behaviour. She is completely ready to walk back out the door when Randall shifts on the floor.

“We ordered pizza a while ago so it should be here soon. Enough for everyone.”

The glance he shoots at Vera does not go unnoticed by the woman, or by Hamish, who can’t help but smile knowing that the others, or at least Randall, are starting to accept the change.  
Vera moves a hand to his shoulder and squeezes slightly. At the gesture, Hamish stands up and turns to her.

“Upstairs?” Hamish whispers, heading into the hall, Vera in tow.

“Please try to remember we all have werewolf hearing.”  
That earns Randall a kick from Gabrielle, and by his second squeak, one from Lilith as well.  
Hamish just chuckles and Vera, much to her annoyance, flushes bright red. The man just grins wider as he picks up Vera’s bag and carries it upstairs.  
The sound of the TV slowly fades as Hamish leads Vera upstairs. The woman counts five doors in the hall, and Hamish leads her to the room on the far right. 

When he pushes open the door, Vera is pleasantly surprised.  
The room is big, not as big as the one at her house, but still spacious. There is very little furniture, just a dresser and a closet built into one of the walls. A double bed sits in the middle of the room, neatly made, and there’s a door to what Vera assumes is an ensuite bathroom. Hamish drops her bag down on the end of the bed and turns to face her.

“So… adequate?” 

Vera moves over to sit on the edge of the bed, running her hands over the covers.

“I guess it will do. Temporarily, of course.”

Vera smiles as Hamish comes to sit beside her.

“Temporarily.” he affirms.  
While Hamish keeps his eyes on her, Vera scans the room, taking in her new home for the near future.  
The dark wood is such a contrast to Vera’s usual white, but it is not altogether unwelcome. The room feels like it's been lived in before, which Vera knows it has, and that adds a feeling of comfort that Vera wishes she didn’t need.

Hamish must see her feelings cross her face because he rests a hand on the small of her back.

“We all store stuff in this room, but the top two drawers should be empty.”  
He gestures to the dresser and Vera nods.

“Thank you.”

When Vera doesn’t speak again, Hamish stands up and moves to the door. 

“Come downstairs when you’re ready. You can get changed, if you want to. The guys don’t care about formality.” 

“Says the man wearing a tie.” Vera retorts, a blush spreading across Hamish’s cheeks.

“Yeah, well… okay. Fair enough.”

Vera grins as Hamish leaves the room, shutting the door behind him.  
She waits until she’s heard his footsteps recede downstairs before she stands up and explores the room, noticing that the clothes hanging in the closet appear to be Hamish’s. That doesn't surprise her, given his earlier explanation, but when she opens the bottom two drawers in the dresser and finds more of Hamish’s belongings, she sighs deeply.

Looking at it now, Vera doesn't see how she missed it at first. Five doors. One for each of the Knights. Gabrielle too, she now supposes.  
Everything from the colour of the curtains to the organisation of the closet practically screams ‘Hamish’, so much so that Vera has to sit down again.

He made space. For her. She can’t think when he would have had the time, and if she’s going to read too much into this, he must have been hoping she’d agree. 

Vera can’t bring herself to unpack her stuff, but she does take out a pair of leggings and a T-shirt and moves her bag on top of the dresser.

..._.._.__.........

When Vera heads back into the living room, everyone is settled down, paper plates in hand, four boxes of pizza open in the middle of the floor. Stepping around pizza and Jack, who seems to have taken Randall’s place, she makes her way to the couch where she claims the gap at one end next to Hamish. Randall is sitting at the other end, with the two girls occupying the armchairs.  
No one moves to look at her, too focused on a movie she doesn’t recognise that is playing on the TV. Vera sits straight-backed, hands clasped in her lap, trying to maintain at least some of the composure the Knights will expect from her.

Hamish, who seems to have removed his tie, Vera observes, offers her a plate which she accepts hesitantly.  
When she doesn’t move, the man takes the plate back off her and stands up, pushing his way through the rest of the Knights.

He makes his way back with the plate, now laden down by a couple of slices of cheese pizza. Vera smiles in thanks as he passes it to her and takes a seat again, draping an arm over the back of the couch behind her.

The atmosphere of the room is light, because of the pizza or the movie that everyone seems very focused on Vera doesn’t know. Either way, the tension in her body fades and she relaxes.  
Her plate is discarded on the floor next to her when she is finished, on top of Hamish’s. Vera curls up on the couch, moving slightly closer to the man next to her. She can practically hear his smile when she tucks herself into his side, his arm moving from the couch to wrap around her shoulders.

..._.._.__.........

When all the food is gone and the movie has ended, the Knights slowly begin to head off to bed. Lilith leaves first, not saying a word as she walks upstairs. Then Gabrielle, stepping carefully around Jack. With a murmured goodnight, she disappears, leaving the four of them to clear up the living room. Randall also manages to avoid cleaning duties, claiming a need to study. Hamish trips him up as he leaves, laughing when Randall has to grab hold of the door frame to stay upright. Vera can’t help but smile at the two boys. Like brothers. They are brothers, Vera thinks, and the thought makes her smile more. 

Hamish surveys the room, lightly squeezing Vera’s shoulders and standing up.  
While Hamish takes the empty pizza boxes into the kitchen, Vera sets about going round the room and picking up the discarded plates, receiving a scowl from Jack when she almost trips over his foot. Retreating quickly into the kitchen, Vera drops the plates on the counter and sighs. 

“You okay?” Hamish asks, shooting her a glance over his shoulder. 

Vera merely nods, busying herself with disposing the plates. Hamish comes to stand beside her, resting one of his hands over Vera’s. 

“They like you, you know.” he whispers, but Vera just shakes her head.

“That’s not quite the word I would use. Tolerate, maybe.”

It’s Hamish’s turn to shake his head, frowning. 

“If you’d rather us go back to yours, we can?” 

Vera twists to face him, keeping her hand on his on the counter.

“I’m sure I can manage for a few more days.”

Face splitting into a grin, Hamish grabs Vera’s other hand and leads her out the kitchen. Jack’s eyes follow them up the stairs, but he says nothing, much to Vera’s relief.

The hall upstairs is dark, but Hamish keeps hold of Vera’s hand until they reach the bedroom. Switching on the light, he heads straight for the dresser, pulling out a pair of pyjama pants and a t-shirt. When he goes to leave again, Vera raises an eyebrow.

“Going somewhere?” she questions, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“To bed?” Hamish responds, still standing in the doorway. 

“Where? You’re already in your room.”

Hamish cringes. “Vera…”

The woman cocks her head and gestures for him to continue.

“There weren’t any free rooms. It’s okay, I’m going to sleep on the couch.”

“You don’t have to do that. It’s not like we haven’t slept together before - not like that.” Vera clarifies when a smirk appears on Hamish’s face.

“I’ll be back in a minute.” he says, slipping out the door.

Vera chuckles quietly and stands up, grabbing her toothbrush out of her bag and walking into the bathroom.

..._.._.__.........

When Hamish returns, Vera is already under the covers, sitting cross-legged. Vera keeps her eyes on Hamish, who still hesitates in the doorway. After a moment of indecision, he sighs and shuts the door behind him. 

“I’m definitely not intruding?”

Vera shakes her head as Hamish moves to the bathroom. The woman busies herself with checking her emails again, squeezing in a few more replies before Hamish re-emerges.  
Again, his eyes go straight to her as Vera puts her phone down on the nightstand and smiles at him. Hamish walks to the door and turns off the lights. Switching on the lamp on the nightstand so he can see, Vera lays down as Hamish walks towards the bed.

“You know I can see in the dark, right? Werewolf?”

“I did not know that.” Vera responds, turning the lamp off and plunging the room into black, blushing when Hamish chuckles. She turns onto her side to hide her expression, cringing slightly. His side of the mattress dips down as he climbs under the duvet, lying on his back.

“Goodnight Vera.” Hamish whispers. 

For the first time in the past week, Vera is glad for the dark when her lips curl into a smile.

“Goodnight Hamish.”


	3. Chapter 3

KNIGHTS HOUSE

Hamish wakes up to a weight on his chest. Opening his eyes, he looks down to see Vera curled into his side, one arm draped over his stomach, her head resting in the crook of his neck. By the steady rise and fall of her chest, she’s still asleep.   
He averts his eyes, moving his gaze to the ceiling. This has never happened before. Every time they’ve spent the night together, Vera has been out of bed before Hamish has even woken up. But here, now, looking at the sleeping woman, he knows he won’t be able to do the same. 

Trying to move as little as possible, Hamish reaches over Vera to pick up her phone, squinting at the bright light when he turns it on. Her alarm still has another 20 minutes on it.   
Not willing to leave just yet, Hamish settles back down, smiling when Vera moves in her sleep, snuggling further into his side. The man tightens an arm around her and closes his eyes.

..._.._.__.........

Vera’s alarm blares and the woman groans. Stretching out of Hamish’s embrace, she reaches her phone and turns it off. When she tries to sit up, the man pulls her back down, wrapping his arms around her waist. 

“Five more minutes?” Hamish asks, his voice muffled by the pillow. 

“You can have as many more minutes as you like - I have to work today.”

Vera extricates herself and climbs out of bed, the wooden floor cold on her bare feet. Hamish doesn’t move, just stretches and turns on to his side to watch the woman. She looks in her bag, pulls out an outfit for the day and walks into the bathroom. Hamish watches with a smile on his face as Vera turns the shower on. She shuts the door, and Hamish huffs a laugh when he hears the lock click.

The other Knights are awake, he can tell, so Hamish gets up, grabbing a sweater from his closet to stave off the chill in the air.   
Opening the bedroom door, Hamish comes face to face with Randall and Gabrielle, both of whom are standing in the hallway.

“Fun night?” Randall teases, earning himself a jab in the ribs from Gabrielle.

“You are unbelievable.” Hamish shakes his head, walking downstairs. 

The living room is empty, but Lilith, to his surprise, is sitting on the kitchen counter nursing a cup of coffee. Hamish smiles at her as he walks to the coffee machine himself.

“Morning.” he says, grabbing a cup from the cabinet behind her.

Lilith says nothing, just takes another sip of her drink. Hamish knows that she is having an incredibly hard time readjusting, but he also knows there is very little he, or anyone, can do about it. He’s just glad that she’s left her room for the second day in a row.

While he waits for his coffee, Hamish moves to the refrigerator, searching for something to eat. A smile finds its way onto his face. Grabbing what he needs, he turns back to Lilith, who is watching him intently, the corners of her mouth ever so slightly turned up.

“You wanna help?”

..._.._.__.........

Vera changes into a wine-red dress and does her hair and makeup before walking downstairs. The sight of Hamish in an apron makes Vera stop dead in the doorway of the kitchen. Him and Lilith are working away, cooking something that smells incredible, something that Vera tries to get a closer look at. When Hamish hears her footsteps, he turns away from cooking and walks over to her. 

“Out.” He says, ushering her into the living room with the rest of the Knights. Vera turns around to protest, but Hamish has already gone back into the kitchen.  
The woman just shakes her head and sits down on the couch, looking at the rest of the faces in the room.

“You get kicked out too?” Jack questions from one of the armchairs.

“Yep.” Vera affirms. “Does he always make breakfast?”

“Sometimes,” Randall says. “But it's usually if one of us is having a bad day.”   
The young man drops his gaze from Vera’s to stare at his hands. “It’s pancakes today. They’re Lilith’s favourite.”

Vera can’t help but smile, turning away from the rest of the Knights to look into the kitchen. Hamish and Lilith stand with their backs to her, but she can tell by the man’s posture that he’s happy, ecstatically so. Seeing Lilith slowly adapt back to her old life after being trapped in the demon realm is encouraging, and even Vera will admit that she missed her when Lilith was gone.   
None of them know how time works down there, how long Lilith called that place her home, but watching her make pancakes with Hamish gives Vera hope that they might not have lost her completely, and the way Randall’s voice cracked slightly when he told her makes Vera think she’s not the only one holding that hope.

“I’m surprised you’re all awake this early.” Vera comments, earning a grin from Randall. 

“It’s never too early for pancakes. And we all heard your alarm.” Gabrielle nods at his words, rolling her eyes and yawning deliberately.

Vera can’t help but feel slightly embarrassed. “Oh.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Randall waves it off. “I never set mine so yours was actually quite helpful.”  
“For you.” Gabrielle groans.   
The young man ignores her, getting up and attempting to join in with the cooking, but a few moments later he returns to the couch, rolling his eyes.

“Nice try.” Hamish’s voice echoes from the other room, eliciting a chuckle out of Vera.  
Of course, Vera also has a go, tiptoeing to the coffee machine, but again, Hamish turns her away. Try as they might, there is a firm ban on the kitchen.

When Lilith comes to stand in the doorway of the living room, everyone jumps up and runs to the kitchen. Vera chuckles, watching as the rest of the Knights grab themselves plates and form a line behind Hamish, who’s holding a tray of pancakes. The man grins and starts filling up plates.

When the line has ended, Vera moves into the kitchen, stopping when Lilith puts a hand on her arm.

“Hamish made a special one for you.” She says, turning around when Vera raises an eyebrow. The woman’s mouth falls open slightly at the sight of a pancake in the rough shape of a heart on the plate in front of her.

The other Knights, who were leaning in to the conversation stare as Vera flushes the same colour as her dress. The four of them turn to look at Hamish, who has yet to notice. When he feels eyes on him, he turns to look, staring between Vera and the pancake.

“I...uhh..” Hamish stumbles over his words, eliciting laughter from Jack and Randall and gagging noises from Gabrielle.

“I did not make that.” He manages to say finally. 

Vera just shrugs it off, trying to ignore the burning in her cheeks. Lilith smirks and places the pancake on Vera’s plate, ushering her to the kitchen island where the others are gathered. Everyone else keeps their eyes on her as Vera takes a seat in the only available bar stool, next to Hamish. She sees him cringe when his eyes wander to her plate.

“I swear, it wasn’t me.” Hamish whispers, albeit pointlessly considering everyone in the room can hear anyway. Ignoring the embarrassment still clear on her face, Vera picks up a fork and cuts into the pancake.

“Nice to know someone cares enough to make me a pancake then, if it’s not you.”

Randall chokes on a bit of pancake, fighting back laughter. 

“She’s got you there, Hamburger.” He grins, winking at Vera.   
“Don’t worry, I’ll make you pancakes whenever you want.” 

“And then you’ll die of food poisoning the next day.” Hamish retorts.

Vera just carries on eating, falling into the easy quiet that the Knights seem to be able to create. 

..._.._.__.........

When breakfast is finished and everything has been cleared away, Vere heads into the hall, Hamish trailing her. 

“So I’m going to buy some security cameras today,” he tells her as she slips on her heels, “I probably won’t have time to install them today but they should be done by the weekend.” 

Considering it’s Tuesday, Vera thinks that might be a slight overestimate of how long it will take, but she doesn’t say anything. The rest of the Knights have disappeared back upstairs, so the living room is quiet when Vera walks in and picks up her purse. Hamish lets her out the front door and watches as Vera walks to her car, pulling out her keys.   
Leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, the man returns the smile Vera shoots him before she climbs into her car. He turns to go back inside when he hears the engine splutter.  
Vera tries the keys in the ignition again, but the engine just grumbles meekly. Hamish can see the frustration on her face as she tries again and again, eventually getting out of the car and slamming a hand down on the hood.

“Seriously?” Vera exclaims, looking to Hamish. He just shrugs as she lifts up the hood, coughing when smoke pours out of the engine.

“This isn’t good right?” she winces, looking between Hamish and the car. Treading carefully in his socks, Hamish makes his way out to the car. He stops next to Vera and peers at the engine.

“Nope.” he replies. “That’s gonna need fixing.”

“Can you do it now?”

“Do I look like I know how to fix cars?” Hamish shuts the hood and turns to face Vera, running a hand through his hair.  
“I can't do anything.”

Vera sighs in frustration. “What am I supposed to do then? How do you expect me to get to work?”

She follows his gaze to Jack’s grandfather’s truck, parked on the gravel.

“Nope. Absolutely not.”

Hamish walks back to the house as the rest of the Knights appear in the doorway, eyes widening at the smoke that is still seeping out from underneath the hood of Vera’s car.  
Hamish pulls Randall back inside the house briefly. 

“Can you take Vera with you?” he asks, frowning when Randall opens his mouth to argue.

“Please.”

Randall peers back out the door, watching the others stand awkwardly on the porch, Vera still next to her car, fiddling with her keys. He sighs as he turns back to Hamish.

“Fine.” he concedes.   
Hamish grins, clapping Randall on the back and walking back outside.

Jack watches him go, turning and raising his eyebrows at Randall.

“Room for one more?” The Knight asks, grinning cheekily.

Jack’s face falls into a scowl. “You’re kidding, right?”

When Randall shakes his head, Jack sighs deeply and fishes out his keys.

“Unbelievable.”

..._.._.__.........

TEMPLE

Hamish is surprised to see Vera’s door open when he walks into the temple. Acolytes he doesn’t recognise seem to be clearing up the aftermath of an incantation, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d guess that one of them was cleaning intestines off the altar. Crinkling his nose at the smell, Hamish moves into Vera’s office. The woman is sitting at her desk, typing furiously on her laptop. Not looking up when Hamish enters, she just gestures with one hand to the door, Hamish shutting it for her. 

“Work?” he asks, taking a seat in the nearest chair. 

“Yep.” Vera affirms, closing her laptop and sighing. She smiles at the man, leaning back in her chair.

“What’s going on out there?” Hamish asks, nodding his head in the direction of the door, and the Acolytes behind it.

“A preservation incantation.” Vera responds. “Do you know how difficult it is to find a body to preserve?” 

“Did you perform it?”

“Obviously not.” Vera huffs a laugh.

Hamish cringes. “I didn’t mean..”

“Luckily for me,” Vera interrupts him, “they stopped asking for a demonstration when I told them that they should be able to do it with their eyes closed, unless they were truly incompetent. Funny that there weren’t any more questions after that.”

Hamish grins, chuckling lightly. “And were they successful?”

“God no.” Vera shudders. “There weren’t supposed to be any body parts on the outside. They’ve got a lot to clean up.”

Rolling her shoulders, Vera puts her laptop away and clasps her hands on the desk in front of her.

Hamish tells her that he’s fixed her car, and the smile that crosses her face makes Hamish’s stomach do cartwheels. 

“So I don’t have to drive with Jack and Randall?”

“Nope. Though I’m sure they’ll miss the company.”

Vera scoffs and stands up, walking around her desk and leaning against it, facing Hamish. 

“Thank you.” she says, a faint dusting of pink on her cheeks. 

Hamish holds out a hand and Vera takes it. He pulls her so she’s sitting on his knee, wrapping an arm around the woman’s waist.

“The acolytes looked like they were almost done.” Hamish remarks casually. “And there’s no one else here.”

When Vera does nothing but nod, Hamish moves his hand onto her thigh and runs a finger under the hem of her dress where the material has ridden up. 

“No werewolf hearing.” Hamish continues, smirking when a look of understanding finally crosses Vera’s face. She blushes and leans in closer to whisper in Hamish’s ear.  
It’s his turn to blush and Vera just laughs. She stands up, wrapping one hand around his tie and pulling Hamish with her into the reliquary.

..._.._.__.........

KNIGHTS HOUSE 

Hamish and Vera arrive home late, so late that all the lights in the house are off. Fortunately, Hamish remembered his keys before heading to the temple, and he unlocks the front door as quietly as possible. Slipping inside, Hamish keeps a hand on Vera’s arm, his eyes adjusting to the dark far more quickly than hers. They both slip off their shoes and tiptoe to the stairs, Hamish pointing out the floorboards that he knows will creak for Vera to avoid.  
The pair make it to the bottom of the stairs when a voice rings out from the living room. The sudden noise startles Vera, while Hamish swears under his breath and moves away from the stairs.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Hamish whispers angrily, switching on the lights in the hallway and glaring at Randall, who is doubled over on the couch, shaking with laughter.   
Vera’s heart rate returns to normal as she comes to stand next to Hamish in the doorway of the living room.

“Were you waiting for us?”

Randall nods, still chuckling. “You missed curfew.”   
He tries to keep a straight face but cracks into a grin when Hamish shoots him an unimpressed look.

“You have a curfew?” Vera asks, looking between the two men.

“No, they have a curfew.” he turns to Vera. “Or they did, before they’d completely got their hides under control.”

“Where were you guys?” Randall taps an invisible watch on his wrist, shaking his head in feigned disappointment.

Hamish clears his throat. “In the temple.”

“You’ve been gone for hours though.” a thoughtful expression crosses the younger man’s face.

Vera tries to suppress a smirk. “I wouldn’t think too much about it if I were you.”

“What do you…. Ohh. Ewwwwwwwww!” Randall shakes his head, face scrunched in disgust. 

Hamish flushes bright red and Vera just laughs, pulling him back towards the stairs. 

“You’re welcome for sparing your precious werewolf hearing.”

Randall slaps his hands over his ears. “Please stop talking about it, I’m sorry I asked.”

Vera just leaves Randall on the couch and heads upstairs, Hamish following behind her.

..._.._.__.........

The next few days pass without incident, and though she hates to admit it, Vera is starting to settle into life with the Knights. She no longer skirts around Lilith, or avoids eye contact when she runs into Gabrielle. Her alarm is slightly louder now because she knows it’s the best way to wake Randall up in the morning.

Hamish doesn’t say it, but watching Vera acclimate to life with the Knights makes his heart swell. He sees the way that the others move to make space for her on the couch; how they keep the noise down as much as possible when they know Vera’s working. And how Randall’s teasing has finally stopped. Or at least, lessened.

So far they haven’t found a way to bring back Vera’s magic, but that doesn’t stop Hamish from trying as hard as he can to find one. More than a few late nights in the reliquary have turned up nothing, but Hamish never wavers.   
Getting Vera’s magic back would mean so much to her and Hamish will do anything to please Vera, even if it means he’s missing out on some sleep. If he thinks about it, there is very little he wouldn’t do for Vera, and while the thought would have worried him in the past, now it just gives the man butterflies.

He knows she’s at work, but Hamish can’t help messaging Vera on his way out the door, a box of security cameras under his arm.

..._.._.__.........

TEMPLE

The letter on the desk in front of Vera fills her with so much dread that she’s done nothing but stare at it for the last 30 minutes. The wax seal on the envelope signifies a council letter, and the anxiety of what it could contain is killing her.

With shaking fingers, she runs a letter opener under the wax and separates it from the paper. The letter within is short, shorter than Vera imagined; less than half a page of writing. But it doesn’t need to be a long letter to spell bad news.   
Vera’s eyes scan the paper, widening, and then closing in dismay. Discarding the letter and dropping her head in her hands, Vera sighs deeply. 

Her phone buzzes and when she pulls it out of her purse, Hamish’s name pops up on the screen. Not even bothering to read the message, she just tells him to come to the temple and collapses back in her chair.

..._.._.__.........

It's not just Hamish that walks through the doors to her office. No, he’s tailed by the rest of the Knights. Hamish walks round the desk while the other Knights spread out, Gabrielle and Jack taking the seats opposite Vera, Randall leaning against the archway.

“Everything okay?” Hamish says softly, walking behind Vera’s chair and placing his hands on her shoulders.

She shakes her head and wordlessly passes him the letter. The others study his face while he reads it, watching for a reaction. He takes longer to read it than Vera does, but reacts in pretty much the same way. He squeezes her shoulders again and leans over, pressing a kiss into her hair.

“It’ll be fine.” he whispers.

Jack huffs in annoyance. “Does anyone wanna tell us what is going on?”

Vera slides the letter across the desk and Jack picks it up.

“The Council wants to see me. The man who replaced Kepler as head is going to try and appoint a different Grand Magus, and I have no way of stopping him.”

Randall pushes off the arch, crossing his arms over his chest. “Just say no.”

“Believe me,” Vera scoffs, “If I could, I would.” 

“If Vera wanted to challenge a council decision,” Hamish explains as looks of confusion cross the room, “she would have to show why she is a capable Grand Magus...”

“Which I obviously can’t.” Vera finishes, smiling bitterly.

Gabrielle moves to the bookshelf, running her fingers over the titles. “When are they coming?” she asks.

“You won’t find anything of value there, Miss Dupres. The only thing that could possibly help is the Vade Maecum, and I don’t even know if there is a way to bring back my magic.” 

Gabrielle runs a hand over the shelves again before she gives up and sits back down, crossing her arms and sighing.

“We’ll cover for you.” Randall suggests. “Hide somewhere and do all the magic for you.” 

There are nods throughout the room, but Vera shuts him down - she knows it won’t work.  
Hamish proposes they start searching for the Vade Maecum, but his suggestion is met with protest. 

“It’s a waste of time.” Vera sighs, “even if there was an incantation in there that could help, I don’t have any idea where to even begin looking.”

“I do.” Jack mumbles. The others turn to look at him as he raises his eyes to Vera’s.

“I’m sorry, you know where the Vade Maecum is? And you’re telling us this now?!”   
Vera shakes her head in disbelief and leans back in her chair.  
“Well then, tell us Mr Morton - where is it?”

Jack sighs uncomfortably. “I buried it with Alyssa.”

“Of course you did.” Vera whispers under her breath. 

“It might be too late to do something now,” Hamish says, “but that doesn’t mean we can’t try. You can always go back to being Grand Magus when you get your magic back.”

Vera bites her lip in contemplation, eventually nodding. At her movement, everyone stands up.

“If we go now we can get there before it gets too dark.” Jack tells them, leading the way out of Vera’s office, the rest of the Knights following behind. When Vera stands up, Hamish wraps an arm around her waist.

“We’ll get your magic back. I promise.”  
He whispers, pressing a kiss to her cheek.  
Vera just grins, her eyes full of hope and something else Hamish can’t quite place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t mean for this to go out on pancake day, but I guess it works!
> 
> I have so much going on with school lately I will try to update as often as possible, but I’m getting less and less free time with all my work. Please bear with me :)


End file.
